


Read You Like a Book

by Enterthetadpole, its_mike_kapufty



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Books, Divorce, Don't copy to another site, Feelings Realization, Growing Up Together, Kissing, M/M, School Dances, Teen!Link, Teen!Rhett, Young!Rhett, young!Link
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2019-10-24 12:12:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17704046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enterthetadpole/pseuds/Enterthetadpole, https://archiveofourown.org/users/its_mike_kapufty/pseuds/its_mike_kapufty
Summary: Books brought them together, but friendship and more kept them together...





	1. Treasure Island

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading our story! ❤

Another pothole in the road tossed Link’s small frame up into his seatbelt, eliciting another apologetic look from his mother in the rearview mirror.

“Sorry, sweetheart. Haven’t been out this way before. We’re almost there.”

The bright Carolinian countryside flickered by Link’s window, all sunlight and soft greens and promises of a perfect day wasted inside minding his manners. But the usual babbling complaints Link would list about such an obligation were lost under his nerves. Instead, he kicked his dirt-caked sneakers against his seat, watching as flecks of filth chipped off into the floorboard. 

His mother cleared her throat at the rhythmic sound. “You’ll love Diane. Sweet as a peach. She has a boy about your age, too. He’ll be there!” The melodic coaxing in her voice brought Link’s gaze up to the mirror again, where she was beaming in reassurance. “You should talk to him. Get to know him.”

Words he’d already heard so many times in his short life-- _go make friends, hon_ \--settled at crooked angles in his stomach. All he could offer in response was a half-hearted nod, wishing he could remind his mom exactly how many times that suggestion had only resulted in teasing and loneliness at school. 

Far before he was ready, the car rolled to a stop in a loose gravel driveway, and a kind-looking lady with short brown hair and high-waisted pants was waving them in from her white porch. Link climbed out of the car, shut the door, and made his way to his mother’s side in a distant fog, watching as she retrieved the novel she’d been carrying around for the past few weeks from her glovebox. _Treasure Island,_ by Robert Louis Stevenson.

“Was that a good book?” he asked quietly with a listless point, latching onto the only person of comfort he had in this place.

“It was!” His mom rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I really enjoyed it. You can read it when you’re older, if you like.”

Parched earth crunched under their shoes as they made the walk up to Diane’s front door. The smell of clean cotton and baked pastries wafted out from inside the house, and Link briefly wondered what _his_ home smelled like to other people.

“Welcome! So good to see you, Sue,” Diane sang, wrapping her in a warm hug. “And this must be Link! It’s so nice to finally meet you, darlin’.”

“Hi,” Link murmured, raising a hand in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you too, ma’m.”

“Oh please,” Diane sighed with a grin, “You can call me Mama Di, baby. I’ve got kids. I’m a certified mama.”

Link couldn’t help but smile as he wrung his fingers together, glancing into the house behind her. “Th-thanks, Mama Di.”

The inside of the house was cozy and inviting--so different from the organized chaos the Neals seemed to live in. Quilted blankets and wooden furniture and knick-knacks on every surface. Doilies underneath the knick-knacks.

“In here is where I was thinkin’ we could have our first meeting, Sue,” Diane explained with a sweep of her arm--a foyer, with two armchairs facing one another over a low coffee table, where yet another copy of _Treasure Island_ rested. “Is this okay with you?”

“Of course. That sounds lovely,” Sue clapped, clutching her own book to her chest. 

“Link,” Diane turned to the child standing awkwardly in the hall and put her hands on her hips. “Why don’t you go find Rhett? I think he’s out back. Don’t be shy, now. We’ll be done in about an hour.”

“I’ll come find you when it’s over,” Sue promised, giving one last _it’s okay_ smile to her son.

Link turned to gaze at the end of the hall, which led into what looked to be a living room. “Alright.”

Exploring a stranger’s house was a surreal experience. He tiptoed through the pastel decor until the telltale daylight cascading from the back door stopped him in his tracks. Beyond the glass was a spacious yard, lined with old bent trees.

In the middle of the yard, facing away, was a blonde-haired boy sitting on the ground. He wore a striped green-and-white collared shirt, and Link could clearly see grass stains on his khaki shorts. He was fiddling with something, head bowed in focus.

Link took a deep breath, pushing away thoughts of how this had always seemed to go for him in the past, and slid the glass door open, waiting.

At first nothing happened. The boy was so entranced with his efforts, he didn’t even flinch. Then, over his shoulder, he called, “Heard a car, mama. Are they here?”

“I’m… I ain’t mama,” Link answered, feeling stupid.

The boy in the grass twisted to stare at Link, and a smile cracked across his face, project forgotten. “Oh. No, you are not.”

That smile melted Link’s anxiety into amusement, and he couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped him as he stepped outside and shut the door. Standing on the concrete lip of the porch, he forced his hands into his shorts pockets. 

“What’s your name?” The boy asked, shielding his eyes from the sun to get a better look at the newcomer.

“Link. Are you Rhett?”

“Yep.”

“What’re you doin’?”

“Tryna start a fire with twigs. My brother did it yesterday. C’mere, I’ll show ya.”

The newfound bounce in Link’s step led him to stand by Rhett, and he doubled over to rest his hands on his knees and watch the lanky kid spin one twig into another at a hard angle with a rolling motion.

“I see smoke!” Link giggled, pointing.

Rhett stopped, glaring at the sticks. “Shoot… nah, I’ve been doin’ this for a while. I think they’ve still got sap in ‘em or something. Too wet. But this is how you do it!” 

“We can go find others to try with,” Link suggested, scanning the yard for branches. 

“Honestly… my hands kinda hurt.” With a laugh Rhett stood, wiping his palms on his shorts and suddenly towering over Link.

“Holy cow. You’re _tall.”_

“Maybe you’re just short,” Rhett shot back. The bitterness of first impressions gone wrong ebbed at the back of Link’s mind, but left just as quickly when he saw the goofy smile Rhett was wearing. It put him at ease, to have someone welcome him so warmly, without an ounce of judgment or cold-shouldering. Just teasing. _Friendly_ teasing.

“Moms already talkin’, ya think?”

“Oh! Yeah. ‘Bout their book. S’about pirates, I think.”

Rhett kicked at the grass, his sharp features pulled into a calm fondness. “Y’ever think about what your pirate name woulda been?”

Link snorted, shaking his head. “No. Have you?”

“Of course! I’d be Silvertooth the Bearded,” Rhett announced proudly, grinning from ear to ear.

Link dissolved into a quick fit of giggles, missing the way Rhett ate up the gratifying response. “Why’re your teeth silver?!”

“I… eat spoons. Can’t help it. Love the way they taste.” 

Young laughter echoed through the blooming trees and summer warmth. First just one at a trickle, then two dancing in tandem. 

“You should think of a pirate name!” Rhett goaded once his breath was caught.

Link’s blue eyes got lost in the grass as he thought, another laugh threatening his lips. “Ole Salty Joe,” he decided, snapping his gaze back up to Rhett, who’d already started chuckling.

“That sounds like a sailor!”

“Close enough,” Link insisted. “Ole Salty Joe and Silvertooth the Bearded!”

“The best pirate crew ever!” Rhett cried, offering a hand for Link to shake. The smaller boy barely hesitated to take it, his face beginning to hurt from smiling. “I know a place we can hunt for buried treasure!”

“Oh yeah?” 

The offer was too enticing to pass up, and the bubble of mischief and giddiness that had formed in Link’s stomach kept him on Rhett’s heels as the boy led them to a murmuring creek at the end of the yard, hidden just at the treeline. Gurgling clear water ran over moss-coated rocks, and instantly it was Link’s favorite place at the McLaughlins'.

“So cool!” he gasped, kneeling at the bank to watch the way the stream tickled the blades of grass at its edge. “Are we allowed to be back here?”

“‘Course,” Rhett shrugged, stepping over it in one stretched stride. “Whaddya say we start lookin’ for treasure? We can turn over these rocks,” he pointed at some of the bigger ones in the creek bed. “Y’might find a crawdad though, just so you know.”

Link wasted no time fishing his fingers beneath the biggest one, struggling to get a grip of its slick surface before overturning it. Silt and debris clouded the water as a distorted _clunk_ warbled up to their ears. “Hehehe. Sounds funny.”

“Wait for the mud to clear before you go stickin’ your hand down in there,” Rhett warned. “Crawdads can pinch, even though they usually just swim away.”

“‘Kay.”

With ‘treasure’ decidedly turning into how many crawdads the two boys could spot, the game escalated into a frenzy to turn over as many rocks as they could. The water turned dirty as stone after stone turned, the pair of them laughing and pointing to next potential sedimentary victims as they made their way down-stream.

When Rhett lost his footing in the murky water and went down, Link didn’t laugh.

“Are you okay?” he asked, running over on the grass lest he should slip, too.

“I think so.” Rhett groaned, bringing himself to a dripping stand and wincing at the red trickle spouting from his knee. “Oh, gosh. Got a scrape.”

Link’s stomach turned at the sight, but despite how sick it made him he knew it had to feel worse for his new friend. “Here, gimme yer arm,” he said, pulling Rhett onto dry ground with him. “Can you show me where the band-aids are, if I help you inside?”

“Yeah.” Rhett nodded, easily slipping his arm over Link’s shoulders and leaning on him for support. “Yeah. Mama’s gonna be sore with me, though.”

“I can tell her it was my fault,” Link offered without a second thought, and secretly loved the way Rhett grinned down at him. “That I dared you to walk on the rocks, or somethin’.”

“Don’t do that.” Rhett shook his head stiffly. “What if she don’t let you come back?”

 


	2. The Hobbit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to its_mike_kapufty (egginthebasket) for editing this chapter. Comments and kudos are always welcomed if you enjoyed the chapter! <3

The stony pathway from Link's house to the driveway had always been fun to maneuver. Each step could be anything-from places to be safe from the lava spills to the floating skulls of the dead warriors he and Rhett had killed the weekend before last. His sneakers already were worn in places because of Rhett, too. The past two years of them taking turns chasing each other through the woods of their homes firmly etched within the cracks and creases of the soles of his footwear. His brand new footwear, his mother liked to remind him.  
  
Still, Sue couldn't help but smile as her little boy had found a new friend. Brother would be the better word, as Rhett seemed to not just be someone who Link would play with because of the book club; Rhett was more like a force of nature in a body too long and lanky for his own good. Back when they first met, the talks were more about why she and Diane hadn't introduced them before now.  
  
"Link, we're going to be late if you don't shake a leg."  
  
It was already way too hot to just be April, and yet Sue was already dabbing the sweat from her brow as she waited for Link to finish his hopping from stone to stone. His balance still adjusting from the small growth spurt that he had over the last couple of months.  
  
"Kay, Momma."  
  
This time around there was the smell of strawberries and cream filling the car as they drove. The sunshine still baking both of them as they headed down the familiar roads towards the McLaughlins. As if Link was drawn to the back of the car like a moth to a fire, Sue cleared her throat in a subtle sound of warning.  
  
"That cake for the book club, Mr. Charles Lincoln Neal the Third."  
  
Using the full name usually worked it's magic to have the small hand freeze in place. Today was no exception.

"But momma..."  
  
"You ain't even close to starving. You can wait until after your lunch and my meeting to dig into sweets."  
  
Shuffling back into the front seat with a face much more sour than was warranted, Link huffed and tucked his fingers into his right hand pocket again. It wasn't like the watch had found a way to jump out of his jeans, but still Link allowed himself to rub his fingertips across the metal band and glass face. If he pressed his index finger against the smooth surface he could almost feel the steady ticking.  
  
Sue continued to drive, with her gentle humming melding in with the song playing on the radio. Her hands in the classic positions of someone who was still so new to driving, with all that had happened with Link's father making it more necessary than ever that she get more used to this now everyday task.  
  
"You want to talk about anything, honey?"  
  
"No, ma'am."  
  
This was also becoming routine, and another one that Sue was just having to get used to. The small exchange between her and her son as little things made her take a moment to check in. To at least try to brush against the matter, but absolutely not to push it. Eventually, from what everyone told her, whether their advice was asked for or not, Link would open up and talk about his father not being there like he was. _Eventually._  
  
The rest of the trip had Link falling fast asleep, with his right cheek pushed up against the glass and mouth opened wide. The ability to pass out and snore at the drop of a hat had to be some sort of parlor trick from the Neal side of the family. Sue just continued her way to Diane's house, already thinking about some good points to bring up about the book they had been tasked with month. Even Link had asked if _The Hobbit_ could be part of his bedtime routine, and of course, it could. His blue eyes closed as he listened to how Bilbo got pushed into an adventure, and the wrath of a mighty dragon named Smaug.  
  
The McLaughlin family had shifted with the time, just like everyone else. Their once bright yellow house now a vibrant shade of blue. Rhett had insisted on the color when he was given the choice, and even now Cole would tease him about their home being the same as Link's eyes. Always laughing at his little brother slugging him in the arm, but still not trying to deny the allegation.  
  
With a small lurch the dark green station wagon stopped in the driveway. The trunk end barely out of the road, but enough for Sue to not feel the need to move up any further. Even with all of the bumps in the road, Link stayed asleep. Sue glanced into the rear view mirror to make sure that the heat of the day hadn't messed up her makeup too badly, and then with a gentle nudge had Link fluttering his eyes opened. The amount of cars had been steadily increasing with each of the months that flew by, but always Mama Di was prepared with a bright smile and enough food to feed a small army.

Rhett's dad Jim would just shake his head as he was nudged out with an increased speed every time to be banished along with the few other husbands who for one reason or another ended up there. Luckily for all of the men who were trapped in the back part of the house, there was beer and television to occupy their time. The only person able to float between the two countries of moms and dads was Cole, who was just young enough to be charming to the women nestled around the kitchen, yet old enough to sit alongside his father in the den. The perfect double agent, and he took pride in this role.  
  
Rhett never wanted to be part of anything not to do with trees and dirt, but occasionally would stroll into the air conditioning if food was involved. Today was no different. Especially when Link had pinkie-sweared that his momma would be bringing her famous Strawberry-Lemon Surprise to the next book club get together. He wanted to see Link too, of course, but the cake was an only once-in-a-while thing. Rhett saw Link all of the time.  
  
"Wow, look at the size of it Momma!"  
  
Link rolled his eyes at Rhett practically drooling. The large pastry was placed at the center of the dining room table like a beacon. It was calling to Rhett like an angel from above, all wrapped up in white icing and plump strawberries. If that wasn't heaven on a plate, then heaven was a downright lie.  
  
"Ya'll go outside until it's time to eat," Diane chuckled, and both of the boys were back out of the house. Rhett recovered first from the temporary exile to the backyard, his gaze already trying to find a good rock or two to chuck into the creek. Link took much slower movements, and it was hard for Rhett to tell if it was just being done to irritate him, or the thoughts of sweets were still planting Link’s feet to stay as close as possible.  
  
"Link, come on. Want to show ya my new throwin' technique."  
  
The smaller boy followed, just like he always did. His stunning blue eyes squinting in the North Carolina sun as he slid with a purpose down the slope of the hill. Familiar smells and sounds helped his heart relax along with the placing his hand back in his pocket and touching the metal watch band. The ticking still as strong as ever.  
  
"What ya got in your pocket?"  
  
Instinctively Link pulled his hand out and brushed his own thigh. A misdirect that would have fooled no one, but especially not Rhett. He was already walking towards Link, right hand curled around a particularly large rock and his left index finger zeroed in. It's not as if Link was _trying_ to be secretive. Eventually he would have shown it to Rhett, but not now. _Really_ not now.  
  
"Nothin'."  
  
"Bullcrap."  
  
When Link used to be in his cowboy phase, he would watch movies that included a scene like the one he was in now. The soft music would begin, and there would be close ups on weathered faces as they sized up their opponent. Usually it was a duel involving newly stolen money or the heart of a girl. But in this case, only Rhett was armed. Would he really throw that rock at him? Would it hurt if Link made a run for it?  
  
"Really, it's nothin'," Link repeated, painfully aware of how small his voice sounded. There wasn't a shred of confidence in the lie, and Rhett was on him in an instant, the rock abandoned to give him better access to grab at the curious bump in the smaller boy's right pocket.  
  
"Get offa me Rhett!"  
  
"Nope. Not till ya show me what you're hidin’."  
  
Link hit the ground hard in his attempt to get away, hating the fact that Rhett seemed to always be too big for his own good. The couple of inches that Link had grown over the past year was astounding, but it was nothing compared to the giraffe that Rhett was becoming in front of his eyes. He was a freak show as he towered over the other kids in school. Given a wide berth as he roamed the hallways like a strange toddler hiding in a teenager's body.  
  
That was only on the weekdays though. Not now, where Rhett took true advantage of his weight and height to practically pin Link to the grass and then go limp. The heaviness making Link want to punch the ever-living lights out of him.  
  
"I'm dead."  
  
"Gosh dang it, Rhett!"

“Nope. I’m dead.”  
  
The deep chuckle vibrated against Link's chest as he felt it. His arms tucked on either side of him, completely useless when Rhett did this move. It wasn't fair. _Nothing_ in the past few months had been fair. More to just add on to the pile.  
  
"It's a pocket knife, ain't it?"  
  
Rhett was actually negotiating with Link from the awkward and painful angle of the woodsy conference room the backyard had become. Link tried to adjust his right hand to cover his pocket in some vain desire to make sure Rhett didn't grab the watch. It was pointless. He wasn't able to move more than an inch.

“A lighter? It's one of those little ones for - “

"McLaughlin, I swear..."

"We're not allowed to do that, buddyroll. Jus' show me what it is. I'll keep it secret."

Link roared, praying that the wetness around his face was sweat, or even blood at this point. Anything but what it actually felt like as Rhett stirred and then suddenly got off of him. The green eyes widened in a mix of confusion and concern.

"Why ya crying? I was just messin' with -"

"You mess around too much!"

Maybe it was the red face and stained cheeks that got Rhett to back away. It's not like he had never seen Link cry before. He had. Link wasn't a certified cry baby but even Rhett had gotten worn down at times by having to defend Link's tears. Sometimes with his words, but most of the fights included fists. All connected blows to others to just leave Link the hell alone. This was different, and there was a twisting in Rhett's chest. The boy he had silently vowed to protect scrambled to his feet and glared at him like he was just like everyone else painful and mean. Rhett took another step back.

"I'm sorry man. Didn't mean to - "

"Here, since ya need to see it so bad."

Rhett didn’t want to seem disappointed at what he saw in the palm of Link's hand. It's not like it wasn't a nice-looking watch. It was. Especially the way it glistened in the bright sunlight. It was more that he had been expecting something more forbidden.

"Told ya it wasn't anything," Link offered lamely. "Belonged to my dad before he left."

"Your daddy's gone?"

Link didn't even know where to begin dissecting that question. No, his dad wasn't gone. Not in any real, physical sense anyway. If anything since his parents broke up he was seeing his father more than ever. There was a desperation in the moments they spent together, with Charles the second placing sugary snacks into Link's eager hands. They would go places that had been grumbled as ‘too expensive’ before. 

"Him and momma are gettin' divorced."

Link was glad that this time Rhett moved closer. The previous stalemate and wrestling match already forgotten as Rhett held on to him. Allowed the folds of Rhett's much longer arms to be better than any cave in the woods or mountain of blankets for Link to cry in. Perhaps he would run into Bilbo, and they would talk about the hazards that come from carrying such important things inside of your pockets. 

The metal watch was painful when held too tightly, but Link held on to it. Treasuring it as something about his dad that was undeniably _his_ dad. Masculine, sturdy and hard around the edges, but still warm to the touch and still kept on ticking along. 

The hot day eventually melted into rocks splashing into shallow creeks and Link laughing a lot. Rhett could do that. Make Link want to hit him as bad as he wanted to hug him. The dichotomy of it as thick as the twang of their hollers as they belted out Merle Haggard songs that only the birds had to endure.

 


	3. The Scarlet Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always welcomed! <3

For the hundredth time that day, Rhett turned the note over in his hands and re-read it. As much as he should’ve ripped it to shreds by its creases, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. If he tore it up, it would be the same as admitting that its contents had hit home--that they were true, and that he couldn’t handle what it said. Not that it was any better to hang onto it; both keeping it and getting rid of it felt like a trap he was overthinking.

The lanky boy sat in the floor of his bedroom with his back to his bed, obsessing and frowning at the piece of blue-lined notebook paper that had been in his desk when he’d returned from recess that day. Somehow, he’d managed to hide it from Link, though he did feel weird about that. The two never hid _anything_ from each other. They could hardly make it to their birthday parties without spilling the beans about what gifts they’d picked out.

A knock came at his bedroom door. Rhett barely had time to stow the note behind his back before it opened a crack and Link’s round face poked in.

“Hey, bo. Didya forget it’s Thursday?”

Troubled as he felt, seeing his best friend’s toothy grin and blue eyes creased with happiness perked him up a bit. “Actually, yeah,” he laughed, waving Link inside. “Sorry! You know I’d usually be waitin’ for ya on the porch. Just forgot.”

“Figured as much,” Link nodded, sliding into the room and closing the door behind him. When he spun to face Rhett with a squint, he glanced around. No games or toys or homework were near his buddy. “What’re you doin’ in here, anyway? Just sittin’ in the floor?”

“Yeah, I guess. Nothin’.” Rhett knew he’d answered just a little too quickly, but hopefully Link would let it slide. He slipped the note behind his back into his pocket and sat up straight. “Moms readin’?”

“I reckon. Mama Di said she’d come get us when dinner’s ready, after.” Link shuffled his feet together. “Chicken and string beans.”

“Sounds good,” nodded Rhett, crossing his arms and smiling. “Whatcha wanna do ‘til then?”

“Rhett, you’re really actin’ weird. You sure you’re okay?” The tender question tugged at Rhett’s heart as Link crossed the room and fell to sit on the bed above him, bouncing on the squeaky springs. “Not already sick of me, are ya?”

“What? ‘Course not. You _just_ got here.”

“I meant at school.” A worn sneaker nudged Rhett’s hip playfully. “I know it’s only been a week, but I told ya you’d get sick of me when I switched to your school. Can’t get away from me, now.”

The thought of being exhausted from Link’s company in _any_ way made Rhett laugh. “No way. I’m real glad you got to transfer, Link. I won’t ever get sick of ya.”

The change had been spearheaded by their mothers, once the amount of time they’d been spending together outside of school was beginning to drain gas money on both families. Sue had found a way to give the boys more time together on a daily basis; Link had switched schools when summer ended and fifth grade started.

It was hard for Rhett to put into words how it had felt to walk into homeroom to see Link sitting and waiting for him next to an empty desk. He’d been watching the door and waiting like a dog for its owner to come home. Once Rhett had appeared, Link started beaming and waving enough to draw the eye of everyone in the room. It would’ve been embarrassing if Rhett had cared--but his best friend was there, and would be there every single day. That was all that mattered.

Until the note, today, of course.

With a small cough Link cleared his throat and kicked his feet, letting heavy heels hit the side of Rhett’s bed. “Then what’s wrong? You know I c’n tell, right? You can trust me, bo.”

“I know,” Rhett added hastily. A prick of guilt hit the nape of his neck, that Link even could’ve thought Rhett didn’t trust him in the first place. He pulled his knees to his chest and frowned up at Link. “All right. But I don’t want you to feel bad about it or nothin’.”

The way Link’s smile ebbed filled him with instant regret. “What is it?”

“I… I found a note in my desk today.”

“Ooo, who from?” The jostling of the bed rocked Rhett’s back as Link shifted to lie on his stomach, head poking just over Rhett’s shoulder. “Abby? Sarah?”

“No, it’s not--” Rhett stammered, shaking his head, “wasn’t nothin’ like that. I dunno who wrote it. There was no name.”

“Oh. Well, what’d it say?”

Rhett stared down at the frayed carpet and sighed. “You can read it, if ya want.”

“Yeah.” Link extended a hand, grabbing the air. “Gimme!”

With a frown, Rhett dug in his pocket and pulled it out. He offered it in an inching grip to Link, who snatched it from him eagerly and unfolded it, reading silently.

 

_you and link sure spend a lot of time togethar_

_you look more like you have a crush on him or some thing_

_do you like him or what? maybe he likes you?_

_it’s kind a weird is all…. your both boys_

_link is cute you shoud let others spend time with him too_

 

“This person is a horrible speller,” mumbled Link, holding the note out at arm’s length.

“Did you read it?”

“Yep. Why would I feel bad about it? They called me cute!” With a laugh, Link dropped the note onto Rhett’s head, letting it slip and flutter down his hair and into his lap.

“‘Cause, it sounds like I’m hoggin’ you all to myself.” The words came out more annoyed than he’d meant for them to, but why couldn’t Link understand where he was coming from? Why wasn’t Link upset about the note, too? Everyone at school thought that they were spending too much time together, and it had only been a week, but already others were talking. “And people think we like each other! _Like-_ like, Link.”

“Yeah, but we don’t.” Link’s response was so easy that Rhett felt silly for letting his head clog up over it. “Ain’t the first time someone’s said that. Remember when Mama took us to the park to go fishin’? The girl we met on the playground, after? She thought so, too.”

“But we have to see _this_ person every single day. And we don’t know who it is, or how many others feel like this.” Rhett tossed the note to the carpet and picked at his leg hair. “If… Link, if you wanna go make other friends, you should. Sounds like a girl has a crush on you, and I don’t wanna be in the way of that.”

“I don’t want other friends, bo.” Link twisted onto his back, hanging his head down and letting his thick, dark hair fall as he grinned up at Rhett. “Tried makin’ lots of friends before I met you, and you were the first real one I got. Can’t leave you alone _now._ What if we drift apart?”

“We’d still see each other Thursdays,” pointed out Rhett, eyebrows knit in concern for his best friend. “And you’d still sit next to me in class. I think.”

“More!” Link growled, poking Rhett’s side and drawing a reluctant laugh from him.

“We’d still see each other at holidays!” joked Rhett. Link withdrew his hand slowly, goofiness ebbing, and immediately Rhett spat, “ _S_ _hoot,_ Link, I’m sorry! I didn’t think about how that sounded, I didn’t mean to--”

“It’s okay.” Link shook his head, which was reddening with blood thanks to gravity. “But Rhett, I’m not gonna stop hangin’ out with you ‘cause of a note written by some idiot. If someone wants to spend time with me, they’ll just hafta spend time with you, too. I’m kinda peeved that they wouldn’t wanna hang out with you. You’re really cool.”

The ache and guilt in Rhett’s chest lifted a bit, and he shifted to stick his bare foot into the patch of sunlight pouring in through the window. “Hush, you sap. Fine. You could prolly be out there gettin’ a kiss though, you know. I’m warnin’ ya.”

“Tell you what.” Link sat up, leaning forward to catch Rhett’s attention. “When I get a note too, complainin’ that I’m keeping _you_ from girls, we’ll spend less time together. ‘Kay? I ain’t about leavin’ you alone, though.”

Rhett broke into a grateful smile. “You’re gonna be waitin’ a long time, then.”

“Nah! Next year we’ll be in middle school. We’ll have more classmates, and girls will be all over you. They only like me right now ‘cause I’m new. But next year, you’ll be new, too.”

It was a nice thought, and so Rhett held onto it. Maybe Link was right. “You think so?”

“Yeah, bo! And if not, then we just wait until high school. It’s a million years away, but I gotta wait until we get girlfriends at the same time.”

“How d’you act like you know everything?!” giggled Rhett, turning to jab Link in the stomach with a finger. The boy squealed and rolled away, his chirping laughter ringing through the McLaughlin house, right where it belonged.

 

\----------------

 

Di bid farewell to the last of the book club members except for Sue. The gatherings were still small; only three other women had begun joining them, but it was nice, nonetheless. A smaller group was probably for the better. She shut the front door and turned to give Sue a smile as the woman sipped her drink.

“How are things, dear?” Di asked, stepping over and settling into the open armchair.

“I think it’s going well,” Sue nodded, setting her mug of tea down and spreading her hands neatly on her lap. “He’s been much happier since we transferred him.”

“Is that so? That’s wonderful!”

“Rhett really is the big brother he always needed. And I think with Jimmy gone, Link really needed another male presence in his life, you know? Someone to love and look up to, at least while I’m single. Rhett’s been so good for him in that way.” Sue smiled and dabbed at her eyes, trying not to let the tears of gratitude fall. “Meeting your family really has been a blessing, Diane.”

“Well, we feel the same way, missy,” Di laughed, patting Sue on the arm. “With Cole almost in high school, Rhett’s been missin’ his brother, but Link’s been right there beside him every step of the way. He’s part of the family now. I figure we’re fixin’ to watch our boys grow up together.”

Sue clasped her copy of _The Scarlet Letter_ to her chest. “I certainly hope so.”


	4. Catcher in the Rye

Link huffed as he sat in the straight-backed wooden chair in the principal's office. The large desk was slightly less imposing since he had grown a couple of inches from the last time he had been here. That previous visit couldn't have been more different. Mr. Jones had sure as heck smiled a lot more. Had even shaken his hand. When he had said  _ I'm going to tell your momma about this _ , Link's chest even had even puffed up with pride. Perfect attendance and As all across his report card for the entire year. 

What an amazing fall from grace this was. Gingerly, as if the black eye may not actually have existed, he rubbed the tender area on the left side of his face, winced at the sudden jolt of pain, and placed his right hand back in his lap.

He desperately wished that his principal would have at least closed the door all of the way. The small sliver of space was still enough to hear his mother and the much older man talking in the hallway. Their conversation was hushed, but it didn't matter. The silence from most of the other students inside their own classrooms, busy being anyone but him, made it impossible for Link not to hear each and every word. 

"It's not like Link hit her back, Mrs. Capps, but we wanted to make sure you know what happened immediately."

"Yes, of course," Susan muttered back, her voice higher pitched than usual. "Can't understand why something like this would happen in the first place. Link's not ever been the type to..."

Then the sound of his mother sighing met Link's ears, and if anything the disappointment that hovered around the edges of it made him feel even worse. He closed his eyes in an attempt to run through what in the world had gone so wrong between him and Ashley McBride. There were so many things that Link had liked about her. 

She always blew bubble gum regardless of the day, time or location. 

_ One of the few rebels in the class. _

She would grab his hand first whenever they would see each other and hold onto him with a death grip that could rival a member of the WWF.

_ Knew what she wanted _ . 

Dark eyes the color of rich summer honey, and freckles that covered the most delicate of button noses he had ever seen.

_ Beautiful _ . 

No other word came to mind. Yet it was him who had told her that he didn't want to see her any more. If she hadn't been pushing so hard that day to ask him what was wrong, then maybe -  _ maybe _ \- he wouldn't have blurted out his feelings in the cafeteria like that. Would have kept them squashed down with the other things he never said. Things like disliking the olives that his momma decorated the top of his triple decker sandwiches with, or that his step-sister pinched his arms and legs in the backseat of their station wagon, her laughter much louder than his squeaks of protest. 

Eventually the noise of the door made Link open his eyes and look over to the right. His mother's frown could have moved mountains, severe enough that it seemed Mr. Jones almost pitied his plight. The walk to the car was full of a deadly kind of quiet that made Link brace himself for the uncomfortable discussion. Sure enough, Susan was barely out of the parking lot when she sighed again. Her gaze was on the road, but her motherly tone never needed direct eye contact to be effective.

"I'm listenin'," she said softly.

"Didn't mean to make her hit me, momma," Link replied, his hands interlaced, as if he could pray this away. 

"You can't make no one hit you, baby," Susan said, her voice already softening. "Always thought that girl had some anger issues. Way she chewed gum all the time. Just ain't natural."

Link giggled in spite of himself, and looking over he saw his mother trying to prevent her own smile from growing too much. 

"We'll get something to put on that shiner she gave you," his mother continued. "Good men don't hit women. I'm proud of you. How about you wait a while before you get another girlfriend? How's after college sound?"

She glanced over and chuckled, and Link was already feeling a whole lot better.

There were advantages to leaving school early. Link was able to sit in front of the television in the living room and watch early afternoon soap operas with his mother. A frozen bag of peas pressed against his battered eye, purchased at the grocery store just for this occasion. So was the chocolate ice cream nestled in a bowl by his feet. 

It was only when Susan started bustling around the kitchen and the sweet smell of cookies met Link's nose that his attention was pulled away from the screen.

"What'cha makin?"

"Cookies for the book club. You forget that was today?"

Link shook his head that he hadn't. He already was running through ideas as to how to tell Rhett what had happened. He knew that gossip about him being punched by his ex would be the big news of the day - whispered from ear to ear like some twisted version of  _ Telephone. _ The details warping with each retelling.

_ 'Did you hear that Link Neal got knocked out by Ashley M? Darn near took his head off! Was cheatin' on her with Jenny Oaks." _

_ "Which Ashley M? Ashley Macon or Ashely McBride?" _

_ "McBride. Happened right outside of the lunchroom." _

By tomorrow, opinions would cement to stone cold facts. Link would be seen as nothing but a heartbreaking monster. Some girls would shun him. Some boys would seek out to avenge Ashley McBride's honor just to get in her good graces. Only the next scandal would stop the madness of middle school - granted, that wouldn't take very long at all. 

"Wow man, so it's true?"

Rhett hadn't even waited for Susan’s car to come to a full stop in his driveway to start gawking at Link's left eye. The frozen peas had helped with the swelling, but the technicolor hues of what one really upset girl could do would not be ignored. Link expected as much.

"Rhett, leave him alone," Susan warned, and Rhett backed off until all of the adults were relaxed and chattering about their book. The retelling of the plot of lost innocence and trying to find yourself echoed from out of the opened back window to where Link and Rhett sat. The taller boy was now perfectly comfortable staring again at the smaller one’s puffy face. 

"She's got a mean right hook," Rhett began, trying and failing to not sound too awestruck at the damage. 

It was hard for Link to glare back with only one good eye, but he sure as heck was going to try.

"Sorry man," Rhett said quickly, with his hands raised up in silent surrender. "Just didn't think a girl that little could throw a-"

"Could ya jus' stop, okay?"

Rhett frowned back, and then there was silence. Link wasn't really angry - it was more just the muddled embarrassment of being caught so off- guard. He actually  _ did _ want to talk about it, but there was no way he could even  _ start  _ to pull back the layers of why Ashley wasn't right for him. Hitting him aside, she was everything classically lovely and charming in the world. Dark brown hair pulled back in a variety of ponytails and braids. Had a smile that could bring out the sun, but it had never warmed his heart in the way Link needed it.

"Better off," Rhett muttered, so low that Link barely heard it. 

"What ya mean?"

Rhett shrugged, getting up and reaching out a hand to help Link to his feet as well. The movement was way too familiar for either boy to see as anything but second nature, when they held each other's hands for a moment after they were standing. Link let go of the slightly larger palm first, then brushed the dirt off of his jeans.

"Don't need that type of girl," Rhett assured. "Heck, there's lots of 'em in school that you'd look good with."

Link could feel the heat in his cheeks and quickly cleared his throat. Luckily for him Rhett was already starting down the path to the creek. 

"Like who?"

Rhett shrugged again, their footfalls crunching fallen leaves and sticks as they continued along the way. The even pace created a rhythm as they moved, with Link occasionally shuffling faster to keep up with Rhett's longer strides. 

"Laura Maycroft?" Rhett offered. "She's really nice and super smart."

The laugh stopped Rhett where he was to look over. 

"What's wrong with Laura Maycroft?"

Link laughed again.

"Nothin' Rhett, it's just...she's like five inches taller than me."

"What's wrong with bein' with someone taller? You're with me all the time, and you don't ever complain about-"

"Cause we ain't datin' man," Link snorted.

Rhett’s frown deepened in its set, and Link laughed again.

"I know that," Rhett grumbled. "Don't be gross. I meant that she's a really nice girl is all. Sits right beside me in Social Studies, and I'm pretty sure she likes you."

Laura Maycroft. Strawberry blonde hair from what Link recalled, and light eyes. Blue? Or maybe green? He'd never been close enough to tell for sure. Always had her nose in some sort of paperback every time he had seen her walking in the hallways. Her long legs always in some sort of floor-length skirt. Fairly pretty in that  _ becoming a swan _ type of way. 

"I think I'll just stick with hanging around you for a while," Link decided. There would be plenty of time for him to figure out what he wanted. Rhett was less complicated, and more comfortable. He just  _ fit  _ in a way that Ashley never had with Link. 

And that was just fine.


	5. The Picture of Dorian Gray

_Any minute now, the butterflies will go. Once the car door slams and I’m standing there lookin’ up at his house for the first time, everything’ll go back to normal._

_Everything._

Keeping his eyes screwed shut for the last leg of the drive did nothing to ease the turmoil that had snuggled into the pit of Rhett’s stomach just a few days ago. If his mama noticed, there in the driver’s seat next to him, she didn’t say anything. He tried to be grateful for that. Maybe she knew. Not all of it, of course, but maybe she knew that despite having been told months ago that this was going to happen, that _seeing it_ up close in person was going to be a big deal… for him. For Link. For both of them.

Alone, he’d already spent time pressing the tears out where he could. Revisiting childhood moments and mourning the loss of their backdrops: rooms and walls and birthday parties and sleepovers he wouldn’t have access to anymore. Not like before, anyway.

The car slowed to turn, stopped, and when Rhett opened his eyes, the Neals’ new house shone like a beacon in the late September sunlight--a lighthouse to the ship of the McLaughlins’ car. A quaint gray roof and cream vinyl siding provided a beautiful canvas for the array of potted flowers and ferns lining the front porch. Ivy crept up to the gutters and draped down in a veil, curtained around a streak-free front window. The driveway was no longer gravel that could chew barefoot soles, but smoothed over concrete that didn’t yet know the weight of trucks.

Rhett unbuckled and stepped out, resting a hand atop the open car door and speaking to his mother without leaning in. “You _sure_ this is it?”

“Yep. Looks just like the photo Sue showed me.” Diane collected her book and pie from the back floorboard and exited the vehicle. “Must not have heard us pull up. This is the place, though.” As she started the walk to the front porch, careful not to tread on the grass--something they’d never thought twice about at the old house--she peered over her shoulder. “Remember to take off your shoes on the porch, sweetie.”

“Yeah,” Rhett nodded, shoving his hands into his jean pockets and trailing along after her with a bent head. Unfortunately, the sickly twist in his gut had only worsened when he’d laid eyes on the new house.

Why did things have to change, anyway? Why did people need to move? Why couldn’t they bury their roots and stay? Why the hell did high school only make sense when he could navigate both the halls and politics of it with Link by his side? Why couldn’t Rhett handle it alone? And--the second most concerning item he hadn’t been able to shake free from his head over the past few weeks--what was going to happen in four years when college was a thing to be considered?

Fear and heartache snowballed in Rhett’s mind as he followed Di up the porch and the screen door swung open to reveal Sue in her cleaning apron… which, _okay_ , the sight of his second mama in her smock did make him feel a bit better. But still.

“Hello!” she sang, propping the door and standing back to let them in. “Welcome, welcome. Sorry if it’s a bit unkempt. We’re still getting settled in, but Di--we can have our meeting in the living room. _That,_ at least, is ready.”

The Neals’ new house was nice enough inside. Seeing where all of the furniture had been transplanted provided a bizarre mixture of nausea and comfort, and Rhett took time familiarizing himself with the layout of the front room as he passed through in a fugue. Didn’t smell like the Neal’s home here, either. It stunk of ammonia and sawdust.

“Rhett, hon, Link should be unpacking in his room. It’s the last door on the left down this hall,” Sue indicated with a flourish of her hand. The small gesture tightened the curdle in the blonde’s stomach, but he ducked a quick bow of the head before trudging off obediently.

_Everything’s gonna be fine. New house don’t mean nothin’. New school don’t mean nothin’. Same Link as he’s ever been._

_Keep it together._

_Everything’s gonna go back to normal, with time. It’ll make sense again… soon._

With a heavy fist, Rhett knocked on the aforementioned door. Link’s voice answered instantly.

“Come in! S’that you, Rhett?”

Rhett cracked open the bedroom and felt his stomach capsize at the sight, much as he dreaded it might’ve. Link was hunched in a huddle of boxes, feathered brown hair damp with sweat at his forehead. Breathless from hauling his belongings around, he straightened and wiped his slick palms on his white tank top, flashing a toothy grin nearly as brilliant as his eyes.

“Hey, bo.”

_Shit._

“Hey, Linkster.”

Rhett could feel the fragility of his own smile in comparison to Link’s. _Already_ he was being weird. Lingering too long, locked up too tight. Silent pleas for his muscles to move--any of them, a shred of normalcy--did nothing, so instead Rhett switched to self-berating. This was his _best friend_ in front of whom he was malfunctioning. The person he trusted most on the planet, and Rhett was suddenly skittish as prey.

_Don’t I owe him more than that?_

The thought coaxed him to creep farther into the room and shut the door behind.

“So,” Rhett started, but Link pulled a face complete with a curious, lopsided smirk.

“You okay?”

_No._

“Yeah. S-Sorry. Kinda tired is all.” With a huff of air that he hoped passed as a laugh, Rhett navigated through the garden of boxes and sat gingerly on Link’s bed. It took monumental effort not to make eye contact, but inspecting the mess on the floor helped. _You might not have this luxury next time you’re alone together._ Rhett shoved the thought down and cleared his throat. “Unpacking’s rough, ain’t it?”

Link rested his hands on his hips and surveyed the chaos. “Yeah, but it’s kinda fun unboxin’ a buncha memories. Y’know? I wasn’t payin’ too close attention when I dumped it all _into_ the boxes, but now that I get ta go through them at my leisure… it’s nice. Like… a photo album, but of _stuff._ ”

“Mm.” Lazily, Rhett’s foot nudged one of the still-taped packages nearest to his perch. “You want help?”

“Ah, you know me, buddyroll. Crazy anal ‘bout where my things go. But, hey--if you wanna make a kinda game out of it, it’d probably be fun?” Link swiveled to select his next victim seemingly at random and tore past its defenses to open it. Rhett did his best not to watch the way Link’s biceps swelled with the effort. Had he always been so… _strong_? Crap, was that even the right word?

“What kinda game,” Rhett stated through a dry swallow.

“How about I take things out of the boxes, and one-by-one, you see if you can’t tell me either what it is or how I got it?” A quick apologetic peer over his shoulder spoke volumes of how Link felt upon suggesting the game out loud. “...If you want? Or somethin’?”

“Nah, that sounds good.”

_Better than bein’ left up to small talk, at least._

Rhett winced at himself. Every thought that flitted through his head that he had to filter away from Link--that he dammed up behind his teeth because of the potential pathways of conversation they would unlock? They hurt like hell.

If Link noticed, he didn’t say anything as he dipped his hands down into the freshly opened box and brought up a notebook. Wordless, he held it up for Rhett to see, and Rhett snorted.

“You packed your stuff for class? Why wouldn’t you just keep it in your backpack?”

“Huh. I didn’t thinka that,” laughed Link. “Bonus points: which class is this?”

“Even if the word _Geometry_ wasn’t written on the cover and legible from here, I’d know it was your Geometry notebook. That red and black pattern...” Rhett noted that he was mumbling and tried to sit straighter. Look happier to be there. “Next.”

Link set the notebook aside--probably a pile for more school junk to come--and pulled out a bedraggled homemade doll. The bulbous head, wonky eyes, pom-pom of yarn hair, and dirt-smudged onesie would’ve been recognizable anywhere for Rhett. With a small smile that said Link _knew_ Rhett was going to get this, but wanted to hear his answer anyway, he held it up for inspection and waited.

“The knock-off Cabbage Patch doll your aunt made you.” For the first time that day, Rhett smiled. “Thing gives me the creeps.”

“Is it the ding-dong?” Link asked with a bubble of laughter. “It’s the peener, ain’t it?”

“The peener’s _part_ of it,” Rhett chuckled as he leaned back on his palms on the bed. “Also the fact that it looks like somethin’ you’d find in an old attic that wants to steal your soul.”

“Alright, alright. I hear ya.” Link’s face was alight as he made his way to his closet and stowed the doll on a top shelf that Sue would no doubt chastise him over for not reserving for clothes. “He’s a _baby,_ Rhett. Can’t even defend himself.”

“Yeah. Tell yourself that when you wake up and it’s holdin’ a knife over your bed.” Rhett laughed, warm and relaxed, but when his smile-creased eyes found Link returning to the room-- _his nice shoulders, air of confidence, what a lovable person he is, how his face is so undeniably--_

_No._

Whatever Rhett had been feeling earlier returned tenfold, and he delivered his gaze back to the floor while his throat went tight. Again, fate took mercy on him as Link retrieved the next item for the game. He presented it in the bright sunlight pouring in through the window, the glint of it catching Rhett’s eye easily. The recognition was instant. It was smaller in his friend’s palm than he remembered.

Rhett’s attention flicked back up to Link’s face. Just briefly. “...S’your daddy’s pocket watch,” he mumbled, and without so much as a nod, Link marched over to his still-largely-vacant bookshelf and placed it reverently on top.

Had Rhett sounded cold? It wasn’t intentional. Memories hadn’t been his friends lately. That was all.

Link seemed unfazed. He heaved a soft exhale and fished once again into the box, oblivious to the way Rhett’s innards knotted and head spun with suffocating thoughts as he watched. He was okay, though. Everything was going to be okay. Just fine.

Eight years of being best friends. No messed up thought locked inside Rhett’s head could change that.

When Link came up with a single piece of neatly folded paper, he unfolded it and skimmed over its contents. “Oh, my _gosh.”_ There was that grin again.

Rhett swallowed. “What?”

“If you guess this one right, you get like… a bazillion points.”

Scrutinizing the paper and shoving away all internal distractions, Rhett squinted. “Looks like… a note?”

“Yeah. If you guess which note, though--”

“Link, we’ve written hundreds of notes to each other,” Rhett protested. But the slip-up of assumption made his face burn uncomfortably. “Wait. Is… _is_ it from me?”

“In a way, yeah,” Link hinted, wiggling his eyebrows.

_Burning._

Rhett’s jaw went slack before a buried memory unearthed and hit him full-force. His eyes widened at the impossibility that his suspicions were correct. “Fifth grade…?”

“Holy crap, you _do_ remember!” Link guffawed with a quick knee-slap. “You ‘member what it says?”

Breath left Rhett’s body as the words seared through his brain, clear in his mind’s eye as the day he’d gotten the note.

 _You and Link spend a lot of time together._  
_You look like you have a crush on him._  
_Do you like him?_  
_It’s weird… you’re both boys._

_Link is cute._

“I, uhh…” Dizzy, Rhett scooted to the edge of the mattress and stood, swaying gently on his feet. “Sorry, I…” His eyes darted around the room, looking everywhere but at his best friend. Panic soaked through his being, starting at his head and seeping down and out to numb his chest, limbs, hot and cold and weightless and _heavy._

“...Rhett? You okay?”

Link’s tone was too concerned. Too close to home--not this home, not this place of change and new firsts and confusion.

“I’m--gotta go,” Rhett blurted abruptly. He started for the door and let himself out, bee-lined to the front porch and kept going even then as calls of bemusement begged him to stop. _Come back._

Rhett didn’t know where he was going. But that was probably the only thing he _didn’t_ know, as fresh truths strangled his lungs and stole his focus, tromping along the side of the road away from the Neals’ new house.

_Nothing is ever going to go back to normal._

_Link’s the same as he’s always been._

_Yet somehow, he’s not._

_And neither am I._


	6. Lost in Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back with a new chapter. Thank you all for being so patient with us!

Link frowned at his reflection in the mirror. His gangly body tried desperately to escape the oversized tuxedo that surrounded it. This was definitely _not_ the same suit he had tried on just a couple of weeks ago, regardless of what the tailor insisted. Back then he looked more like Cary Grant, and less like a scarecrow going to its first formal cornfield.

It also didn’t help that his mother had tried her best to calm down his hair. Her comb and brush had fought valiantly, but there was no taming the fierce nature of his ebony locks. So instead he had taken mounds of hair gel and slicked it back into resentful submission. Even direct bullets to the head wouldn’t break it’s hold tonight.

The only thing that _was_ working for Link was his goatee. It had filled in nicely over the past couple of months. Nothing compared to the chin strap that Rhett was sporting nowadays, but it would do. Link inhaled through his nose and out of his mouth, and again checked the corsage on the foot of his bed. Katie had been very specific about what she wanted to wear. 

_“Red and white roses with navy blue ribbon. Not dark blue, Link. Navy blue. There absolutely is a difference!”_

Homecoming was special, and getting the flowers that she wanted was the least that he could do, and if the night ended the way that he had hoped this would all be worth all of the stress and fuss. So with a final glance in the bedroom mirror, and one more splash of his stepfather’s cologne, Link headed out of the house and into the ancient station wagon to pick up the rest of his group. 

“About time you got here,” Rhett chuckled. His tuxedo was much better fitted, and Link secretly hated him for it. The small touches of the gold vest and tie allowed Rhett’s blonde hair to almost shimmer in the waning sunlight, and something more than just his hastily eaten lunch churned in Link’s stomach.

But before Link had a chance to do more than give a small apology for his lateness, three people were clambering into the car. All with nervous smiles and rustling evening wear, and ready for what the night would bring them. Katie was a picture of navy blue smugness, with her eyes matching her dress so well that Link knew that it wasn’t coincidental. Nothing about Katie Farmer was done on a whim, including her agreement to be his date tonight. 

In the back of the car Rhett was chatting in hushed tones with Annette Miller. Rhett had asked her to be his date only a few days ago, but still she had just enough time and energy to look pretty enough to make Link’s stomach backflip again. These nerves lasted all the way through dinner of overpriced steaks and half-swallowed sodas and lingered until Link placed the car in park in the Harnett High School parking lot. 

Katie adjusted her corsage on her wrist with the air of a soldier going into battle, and then gave Link a nod, and interlaced their fingers. Link swallowed hard. Rhett and Annette were only a few steps behind them as they move as casually as they could through the empty hallways of their school. The clicks and squeaks of their high heels and patent leather shoes echoed as they traveled together up to the gymnasium, the sound of music blending with footsteps. It was only when Katie gave a small smile and turned right without Link beside her that he knew that she had been true to her word, and Annette followed her lead and left Rhett with a farewell wink to join Katie. 

“Come on,” Rhett whispered. His voice so low that Link had to strain to hear him. So instead, he did what came natural with Rhett, and trusted where the taller boy went. Which apparently was down another long hallway filled with closed lockers and dim lighting, until finally they reached a small walk-in storage closet.

Rhett smirked at the tense expression. 

“Relax, man...not tryin’ to murder you or nothin’. Gotta return this suit, you know. Besides you’re my ride home.”

“...shut up.”

With another chuckle, Rhett opened the door to reveal two chairs surrounded by racks of cleaning supplies. Link could feel his breath hitch at the sight, with his heartbeat thumping against what must have been all of the bones in his body. He took another deep breath, but it didn’t help.

“You...still okay with this?”

Link nodded before the question really sunk in. Sure he was okay. They had talked about this. Planned it all out and had found two girls who were willing to help them _have_ tonight. To try this out, and see if it would work. But still, Link’s mind was exploring out the best escape routes. Excusing the last few months of the lingering touches as just being too used to each other. A phase. To be craved and tried and abandoned like so many other whims. 

“Link?”

Rhett was already sitting down. Even now in this pivotal moment, Rhett still naturally placed himself on the left side. His body folded up in the too small world that had gotten even smaller with this. The biggest step in their lives. The irony of them being in a literal closet not lost on either one of them. 

It was easier when tonight was a hazy scenario. Where Link would take Rhett in his arms and they’d pose like the cover on that new _Lost in Love_ harlequin novel that his mother was reading in her book club. Where Link would somehow magically say just the right things to make this transition from what they always had been into something they needed to try out and conquer. Or at least find a way to laugh off after the eggshells had been destroyed underneath their feet and the dust had settled once for all. 

“Can we jus’...I don’t know...stand? Yeah, maybe standin’ is better?”

Without hesitation Rhett was back on his feet. The small chair creaked at the change in pressure, and somewhere the music from the gymnasium had found them through the air vent. The song choice soft and soulful, and it broke the tension like a ray of sunshine through a darkened room. 

“Lionel Richie’s _Don’t Wanna Lose You_?” Link sighed. The timing of the ballad allowed his heart to slow down to normal. “That’s about as cheesy as - “

Then Rhett was there, and the rest of whatever Link had planned to say was lost in the back of his throat. Pushed by the warm breath of his best friend’s lips against his own. Rhett’s mouth tasted like after dinner mints and those tiny crumbs of apple pie that Link had seen on the edges of his beard. One of them sighed, and the other one swallowed it down in a single gulp. They borrowed each other’s oxygen just as they would trade anything else they valued, but wanted the other to cherish too. 

_The way you hold me, comforts me and shows me_

_that a love like yours is hard to find._

_I need your lovin ev'ry day and night._

_Your kind of lovin' makes me feel alright._

The music swelled around them, and vaguely Link was aware he was crying. Not by the blurry vision, but why else would larger thumbs be brushing wetness from his cheeks? It didn’t rain in hallway closets. Link’s body adjusted to this new sensation of Rhett’s warmth pressing through him in so many new angles, and Link didn’t mind. This was _more_ than okay. The faint mutters of words that Link never knew he needed to hear weren’t helping any lingering self composure. That had left in a whirl of the crooning notes of Mr. Richie and the confession messily kissed onto the nape of his neck. 

“I love you, Link.”

The two boys froze at the words. Rhett’s face flushed with what saying too much can do, hands gripped onto rental wear and waiting for Link to do anything more than stare up at him. The blue eyes reflected emotions that Rhett couldn’t even begin to understand. 

“Link…” he started, voice still thick. “That was said in the moment. I didn’t mean...I don’t know what I’d do if this ruined our - “

Then it was Rhett’s turn to have his sentence kissed away. 


End file.
